Numerical Analysis of Thermal Behavior in a Refrigerated Warehouse

This paper presents a study of thermal behavior in a refrigerated warehouse equipped with ceiling type refrigeration unit. A two-dimensional steady-state problem was solved by using computational fluid dynamics modeling and simulation. The computational model includes a refrigerated space at the center plane of an array of 4 piles by 3 stacks of palletized product packages with a evaporator fan refrigeration unit, in which the fan pull air through cooling coil and blow out into the space. A parametric analysis was done based on fourteen simulation cases of conditions including different locations of the refrigeration unit as well as different normal forced air velocities produced by the fan. Typical distributions of velocity and temperature are presented. From the results, it is found that better cooling effectiveness and uniformity of the refrigerated space can be achieved by using higher normal supply air speed or locating the refrigeration unit lower and closer to the array of stacks of product packages.Copyright © 2006 by ASME